A schema was what Piaget said was a “basic building block of intelligence” (McLeod, 2009). They allow us to organise our knowledge and to have an association between objects and actions. When a schema is reached there is said to be a mental equilibrium. When an old schema is being applied to a new object it is called assimilation.The old schema may work poorly on the new schema so therefore it must be adapted to the new object. This is called accommodation. The baby accommodates this old schema to a new object. Assimilation and accommodation both make up adaptation. Adaptation also means learning as we must adapt to grow (Block, 1982).
Piaget believed that there had to be a certain correlation between accommodation and assimilation as they represent the body and the mind. When this optimum state is reached it is called equilibrium (Boeree, 2003).
A schema was what Piaget said was a “basic building block of intelligence” (McLeod, 2009). They allow us to organise our knowledge and to have an association between objects and actions. When a schema is reached there is said to be a mental equilibrium. When an old schema is being applied to a new object it is called assimilation.The old schema may work poorly on the new schema so therefore it must be adapted to the new object. This is called accommodation. The baby accommodates this old schema to a new object. Assimilation and accommodation both make up adaptation. Adaptation also means learning as we must adapt to grow (Block, 1982).
Piaget believed that there had to be a certain correlation between accommodation and assimilation as they represent the body and the mind. When this optimum state is reached it is called equilibrium (Boeree, 2003).
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